Is Science really as Scientific as it claims to be?

Question 1

is science scientific? - why is it doubted?

Answer 1

based on mistaken assumptions about what natural science & scientific method is like
ignores fact scientific knowledge is socially constructed

Question 2

is science scientific? - realist view on science

Answer 2

events in natural and social worlds caused by unobservable processes
not all social phenomena can be measures
scientific discoveries not directly observed by inferred from their effects (virus, particles, energy)
in sociology we can’t observe structures but discover their effects (social class; large number of people sharing similar income)

Question 3

is science scientific? - closed and open systems

Answer 3

closed - factors controlled by researcher leading to precise measurements
open - factors can’t be controlled, predictions imprecise/difficult
(weather forecasting, earthquake detection)

Question 4

is science scientific? - positivist & interpretivist misunderstanding

Answer 4

misunderstand what natural science is really like
both use scientific approach; positivist focus on observable, intepretivist on unobservable
sociology is a science

Question 5

is science scientific? - social constructionist approach

Answer 5

science produced with a specific social context

created by the actions/interpretations of scientists, influenced by social factors

Question 6

is science scientific? - paradigms

Answer 6

framework of scientific laws, concepts, theories, methods, assumptions that influences what scientists count as relevant evidence

Question 7

is science scientific? - where are paradigms learnt?

Answer 7

scientists learn through their training

their socialised into the accepted view of normal science based on values of scientific community

Question 8

is science scientific? - impact of paradigm on research

Answer 8

scientists fit observations into paradigm rather than attempt to falsify/question it
the more an idea challenges the dominant paradigm, the more the method is scrutinised for error
the more the findings don’t fit the existing paradigm, the more likely its dismissed

Question 9

is science scientific? - scientific changes

Answer 9

scientific crisis - establish paradigm changes when there are things it cannot explain
scientific revolution - science changes in dramatic leaps than through gradual accumulation

Question 10

is science scientific? - scientists cheat; kaplan

Answer 10

theres a gap between the methods scientists claim they use and what they actually use

Question 11

is science scientific? - scientists cheat; reconstructed logic vs login-in-use

Answer 11

rl: formal scientific methods scientists are meant to use thats essential for their results to be accepted
l-i-u: in reality, scientist use research processes thats unsystematic and made up as they go
form of scientific cheating

Question 12

is science scientific? - scientists cheat; how many scientists prepared to provide original data

Answer 12

1 in 4

they must have something to hide

Question 13

is science scientific? - scientists cheat; repeating experiments

Answer 13

keep re-running experiments until the desired result is obtained
only experiments that confirm hypothesis gets written up

Question 14

is science scientific? - factors that contribute to social construction of scientific research

Answer 14

• time & money available
• theoretical perspective (paradigm)
• values of researcher
• desire of researcher to prove hypothesis right
• whether research area is of current interest
• who’s funding research
• pressure to publish & publishers deadline; data may be misinterpreted, experiments to falsify hypothesis not carried out
• state of existing data
• how useful research is seen
• desire for promotion & career success